U.S. May Give Iran Money; Lhota’s Shul Faux Pas

A 2010 photo shows the inside of reactor at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, 1200 Kms south of Tehran, where Iran has began to unload fuel for the nuclear power plant. (HAMED MALEKPOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

• The U.S. government is weighing a plan that would, in spite of the sanctions currently in place, give Iran access to billions of dollars in frozen funds, if they take certain steps towards dismantling their nuclear program. [NYT]

• New York City mayoral candidate Joe Lhota dropped by a Borough Park synagogue while campaigning in Brooklyn—but it was during a men’s service and and a female reporter and two aides were asked to leave. Lhota stayed, sparking a flurry of pre-election controversy. [Daily Intel]

• That could have gotten awkward for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has apparently spent a lot of time talking about what he would wear if he was a woman. [TNR]

• For terrorist group Hamas, whose funding and political influence has waned dramatically, the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier remains an disturbingly appealing option. [Times of Israel]